


The best cuddles

by shootingcookielover



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Crying, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Multi, Self-Doubt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:26:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23879899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shootingcookielover/pseuds/shootingcookielover
Summary: Deceit was sick of the lies swirling around Patton like a neverending tornado. They tasted bitter on his tongue, unpleasant in a way that wasn't easily washed off with his favorite food.Roman only came to investigate the crying. He didn't expect to end up cuddling with his two favorite sides.
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders/Deceit Sanders
Comments: 4
Kudos: 73





	The best cuddles

Patton sank down on his bed.  
He didn’t like this. None of this. His room was too empty, too quiet, too… him.

  
It reflected him too much, bounced his emotions right back at him, it was like the room took his head and shoved his face into everything Patton didn’t want to think about.

  
The first tear fell unnoticed.

  
He was useless, he was making Thomas feel bad. He was making everything worse, he was annoying and stupid and- and-

  
Everyone hated him!

  
The second tear was quickly wiped from his face as he stood up. He didn’t feel like sitting anymore, there was a restlessness in his legs that brought him to the mirror on the wall. Pictures were clipped onto it, held aloft by magnets.

  
Pictures of him and his famILY.

  
Of Roman and Logan and Virgil. Of days spent together laughing. Having fun.

  
Patton bit his lip, trying to stifle the sobs wanting to escape him.

  
He was fine. Just one look at the pictures confirmed it; his life was great, he had no right to be upset.

  
His famILY loved him, he loved them. They were famILY.

  
Even a look into the mirror itself was enough to come to the conclusion; Patton was fine. Happy-pappy Patton!

  
He was smiling after all, and those tears could only be happy ones!

  
Because he was okay. His life was too good to be upset about things.

  
His hands curled into fists nonetheless. A quiet hiccup left his throat and this time he bit down on his fist to stifle the sound.  
He was fine!

“You know, before I couldn’t do much, but now?”

  
Patton whirled around. Deceit was sitting on his bed, one leg crossed over the other.

  
“I am capable of so much more.”, the lying side stood up in one fluid motion.

  
He reminded Patton much more of a snake, in moments like these.

  
The moral side stumbled back, hitting the mirror behind him and wincing in light pain as Deceit advanced towards him. There was something predatory about the way the lying side moved.

  
So deliberate and calm, as if he knew his prey was trapped and he was only playing around, waiting for it to tire itself out before striking.

  
“W- what do you mean?”, Patton choked out. His emotions were surrounding him like a tornado, an invisible force that tore him apart from the inside.

  
Fear was the most prevalent at the moment.  
Deceit stopped when he was barely an inch away from Patton.

  
The lying side might not have been as tall as the moral one, but the dangerous glint in his eyes, the menacing shine of his scales and the threatening length of his canines was enough to make Patton feel as though Deceit were towering over him.

  
“Your lies, Patton.”, Deceit replied. His voice was smooth as always, slick and easy to fall for. “They reek. I’ve been smelling them for so long now...”

  
Deceit reached up and Patton could feel himself freeze up. The fear made his heart beat faster, the terror in his eyes was overwhelming.

  
But all the lying side did, was push a stray strand of hair behind Patton’s ear, careful not to upset his glasses.

  
“But I can finally come forward. My dearest Patton, whyever do you feel the need to lie to yourself?”

  
The moral side had no time to respond as Deceit stepped back, just enough that Patton felt he could breath again.

  
“And, perhaps more importantly, to your oh so precious family?”

  
For the first time since he’d appeared, Deceit’s eyes strayed from Patton to the pictures on the mirror behind him. There was a small crease forming between the lying side’s eyebrows and Patton almost wanted to reach out and smooth it down. Almost.

  
“W- what are you talking about?”, Patton asked, forcing as much cheer into his voice as he could. It still came out shaky, but it was convincing enough in his opinion. “I don’t- I’d never lie to my kiddos!”

  
Suddenly Deceit was so close to him again. His face was almost touching the moral sides.

  
Patton could see the lying sides forked tongue, flicking out, as if to taste the air. The frown on Deceit’s face was easier to see now.

  
“Don’t”, he hissed, before seemingly getting himself back under control. “You can’t lie to me, Patton.”

  
The hand was back again, this time laying gently against Patton’s cheek.

  
The moral side wanted to lean into it, to fall forward and be comforted, but this was Deceit.

  
Patton batted away the hand. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, kiddo.”

  
Deceit backed up again, some more this time, leaving Patton enough space to step away from the mirror.

  
“Of course you don’t.”, the lying side sneered. “Because you’re happy, aren’t you, Patton?”

  
The moral side startled as he heard Virgil’s voice and saw not the snake but his strange, dark son. “What are you-“

  
“I may not know about emotions or have any, for that matter, but I will assist you however I can.”, this time it was Logan and it looked so wrong, seeing him slither closer, like the venomous snake Deceit was. 

  
“Padre, you look positively horrible! What happened?! Is there a fiend in need of slaying?!”, Roman stood so close to Patton, he could see the red dots in his green eyes.   
The tears were back and Patton choked down a sob. “S- stop-!”

  
“You know you can tell us everything, right?”, Deceit was so close.

  
He looked and sounded so much like Virgil.  
Another choked sob freed itself from Patton’s throat.

  
“I- I know!”, the statement almost sounded broken. Patton’s eyes sank closed, tears still running free. “I- I’m s-sorry! I didn’t… I didn’t want to lie to you!”

  
He knew he was being dumb, that it was just Deceit in the room with him, but the admission felt so, so good, like a weight being lifted from his shoulders. 

  
His eyes slowly opened again, though he didn’t dare look at Deceit. “…I didn’t want to burden you with my… my problems.”

  
A quiet sigh and there was again a hand, on Patton’s shoulder this time. “Your problems could never be a burden to us, Padre! Don’t you know that? We care about you. You’re important to us. We want to help you.”

  
The moral side felt his chest constrict. He looked at Roman with mistrust in his eyes, yet such a desperate need to believe what the creative side was saying. 

  
Except it wasn’t the creative side.

  
It was Deceit.

  
Patton gave a wet laugh, pushing through his tears. He wiped them quickly. “Y- you’ve i- improved, Deceit!”, he complimented, trying to hold onto some form of composure.  
Patton sniffed, wiping at his face some more.

  
Roman looked confused. Then he glanced over his shoulder.

  
Patton followed the gaze and found… Deceit.

  
In all his glory standing behind them. He was leaning against the wall, a bitter smirk on his lips. He gave Patton a tiny wave.

  
“B- but-“, Patton sputtered, his eyes focused on Roman again.

  
The creative side smiled. “It’s actually me, Padre.”

  
The tears were back.

  
The moral side slumped forward against Roman, burying his head in the creative side’s shoulder.

  
Roman threaded his hand through Patton’s hair carefully. “Why did you lie to us, Patton?”, the creative side asked, voice low. “We want to help you, but we can’t if you don’t talk to us.”

  
Patton sniffled. His eyes were closed again and his glasses were pressing against his face uncomfortably. At this point they were probably so smudged he wouldn’t be able to see anything even if he did open his eyes.

  
“My… my life is good.”, the moral side mumbled, holding onto Roman for dear life. “I- I shouldn’t- I don’t- I can’t have problems! I- I h- have it s- so much better than- than others and yet—“, Patton stopped himself, instead breaking out into more sobs.

  
Roman hushed him quietly, rubbing soothing circles into his back. “It’s okay, Patton.”, he reassured. “You can have problems. Your problems aren’t any less valid than other people’s. It’s okay.”

  
The two of them somehow ended up on Patton’s bed with the moral side in Roman’s lap.

  
Just as the moral side managed to calm down a little, Deceit spoke up again.

  
“Well then.”, the lying side said, “I accomplished what I came here to do. See you never.”

  
He was about to sink out, when Patton cried: “Wait!”

  
Deceit stopped mid-sink-out. He raised one eyebrow at the moral side. “What? Any other lies you need me to coax out of you?”

  
Patton was still busily wiping his face, but there was a blush slowly creeping up his neck. “N- no… I just… wanted to thank- thank you.”

  
“Ah, well, if that’s everything.”, Deceit took off his hat, showing beautiful, curly brown hair, and bowed. “It was my pleasure. Now-“

  
“Deceit?”, Patton cut off. He had scooted down from Roman’s lap who was watching the exchange curiously. “D- do you… uhm…”, Patton was blushing harder now.

  
“Do I what, Patton? As much as I enjoy uncovering lies, I do have a tight schedule.”

  
“A- ah, then maybe not…”, the moral side conceded, head low, eyes averted.

  
Roman shot Deceit a look. The creative side gestured at Patton and the lying side had hung around Remus enough to understand it meant: “What are you doing you moron you’re being a socially inept asshole again!”

  
Deceit sighed. He wanted to help, he really did, but the ‘light sides’ (delightful name) simply didn’t make any sense to him. Sure he could replicate their mannerisms, but why they acted like that in the first place? He had never been able to grasp it. 

  
“Fine. Patton, what is it. As it turns out my schedule just cleared up.”

  
Patton shook his head. “N- no, if you have something else-“

  
Deceit cut him off. “Patton, just tell me. I’m here because I don’t want to help and you’re not making it difficult at all.”

  
Roman shot him another glare, but Deceit ignored the creative side in favor of Patton who looked up at him almost shyly.

  
“O- okay, if- if you w-want to… m-maybe… could you… stayhereandcuddlewithus?”

  
Patton squeezed his eyes shut, anxious about Deceit’s answer. He’d asked.

  
The lying side was sure to turn him down, to call him a weirdo and sink out.

  
A hand was placed under Patton’s chin. His head was lifted gently and the moral side’s eyes met the bewildered ones of Deceit.

  
“You want to cuddle with me?”, he asked.

  
“Y-yeah, I mean…”, Patton tried his best to avoid looking into the other’s eyes, which was hard considering their proximity. “Y-you have s-six arms right? So y- you must be am- amazing at cuddles and- and also you’re a snake and snakes need heat right, so I thought it made sense-“

  
He was rambling. The moral side cut himself off as soon as he realized, chancing a glance at Deceit.

  
The lying side looked even more baffled, but slowly, a smile worked it’s way onto his face. “I would hate to cuddle with you.”

  
Patton beamed at Deceit and immediately surged forward, wrapping his arms around the other side’s torso. His face was smushed against the lying side’s shirt and his glasses were really in the way now.

  
“Splendid!”

  
Roman tackle-hugged the other two sides.

  
Somehow the three of them ended up laying on Patton’s bed. Deceit was in the middle with Roman and Patton snuggling up to him.  
Patton had been right; the six arms were incredible at cuddling.

  
The moral side in question had fallen asleep by now, his glasses securely on a nearby nightstand.

  
Roman, meanwhile, was still awake. He looked up at Deceit with an almost confused gaze, though it was interlaced by something akin to awe.

  
The lying side’s eyes moved from Patton to Roman. “Something wrong?”

  
His voice was even more wonderful when he talked so low, a soothing deep rumble that made Roman feel much better than he had in a while. “No.”, the creative side admitted.   
He was still staring up at Deceit who raised an eyebrow.

  
“Well then why aren’t you staring?”  
Roman huffed, a content smile on his face. He himself was on the cusp of falling asleep, his eyes already drooping, though he didn’t want them to.

  
“You’re just so beautiful.”  
The creative side didn’t see or hear Deceit’s reaction.

Roman and Patton awoke the next morning to only each other.

  
Confused, Patton sat up, rubbing his eyes. “Where’s Deceit?”

  
Roman yawned and stretched. He hadn’t slept this good in a while. “Dunno. He did say he had a tight schedule, I suppose.”

  
Patton sighed. “He’s a great cuddler.”

  
Roman nodded wistfully. “Yeah.”


End file.
